Nurse in China Makes Shocking Error During C-Section, Severing Newborn’s Finger

According to Financial News, a medical accident occurred at a general hospital in China when a nurse accidentally severed a newborn’s finger during a cesarean section.
According to foreign media including the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 20th, the incident took place on the 25th of last month at Xuyi County People's Hospital in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, China. It was found that the nurse accidentally cut off the newborn’s left middle finger.
The accident occurred while a nurse acting as a midwife was removing the baby’s umbilical cord during the cesarean section. The hospital reportedly did not inform the newborn’s family of the incident until two hours after it happened.
The baby was later transferred to Wuxi Ninth People's Hospital in the Wuxi area, where doctors performed surgery to reattach the finger. The operation was successful, and the infant is currently recovering.
The Xuyi County Health Commission issued a statement saying that the partial amputation of the baby’s finger was due to the nurse’s serious negligence. The nurse explained, “At the moment I was cutting the umbilical cord, the baby suddenly moved, and I accidentally cut the finger.”
The hospital has paid compensation to the family, and the nurse responsible has been suspended from duty. The baby’s father said, “How can such an absurd mistake happen at such a large hospital?” He added, “Because of the metal needle left in the finger during surgery, the baby cries often and is in a lot of pain.”
The replantation surgery the child received is a treatment that restores function by reconnecting a severed body part to its original location. In cases of finger amputation, the first priority is to stop excessive bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop, applying pressure to the wound and raising it above heart level helps with hemostasis. Even when a finger is completely severed, gently pressing about 1 centimeter above the amputation site can help control bleeding. Hemostatic agents should be avoided, as they may interfere with surgery.
Properly securing the severed finger is also crucial. Unlike the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system has a relatively high chance of functional recovery if reattached in time. The golden time for finger replantation surgery is generally considered to be 12 to 24 hours. The longer the delay, the lower the success rate, making rapid transport to a hospital essential. To prevent tissue decay, the severed part should be kept cool, but if the cut surface comes into direct contact with ice, the tissue can be damaged. It is therefore recommended to maintain a chilled state using an ice pack or similar method, without direct contact between the tissue and the ice.
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter